The Fool's Pursuit: The Fading Crow
by HappytheExceed
Summary: An alternate retelling of "The Fool's Pursuit". Yata Misaki was tortured and wounded to within an inch of his life, despite suffering from agonising pain from the inhuman experiment he was put through, he was still hanging on to his life hoping that he could meet him again before he leave this world. Saruhiko x Misaki.
1. Chapter 1: Never-ending Nightmare

**This is a "What if" from "The Fool's Pursuit" dedicated to Belphy who wanted to read an alternate retelling of SaruMi's ending. "What if Saruhiko managed to see Misaki before he passed on?" Some of the part is mentioned in "Each and Every Bonds" and how Munakata survived in ****"Each and Every Bonds" is also explained****. Due to the number of words, I split the one-shot into two parts.**

**It can be read as stand-alone even though, it is better for one to read "The Fool's Pursuit" before this. **

* * *

**Chapter 1: Never-ending Nightmare**

In a medical facility of the Gold Clan which was currently under the control of the Blue Clan, Kushina Anna stared into the glass panel of a sterilized ICU. A certain young man with chestnut red hair was lying on a bed in there where there were various machines surrounding him. His nose and mouth were covered with oxygen mask which pumped oxygen into his body. His arms were covered with various tubes channeling drugs and nutrients to help in his body function while his free fingers were all bandaged up. Her heart lurched at the sight. The beeping machine was the only signal telling her he was alive.

She felt a hand over a head as she felt tears welling up her eyes at the sight of her fallen clansman.

"Izumo." She turned and greeted hugging him on his waist.

"He's strong. He'll be able to pull through." Kusanagi Izumo, the adviser to the young Red King commented looking into the glass panel. She knew it was a lie but she wanted to believe in it in the lie known as miracle.

* * *

"He's suffering from unnamed sexually transmitted disease, broken immune system and multiple organs failure from the effect of the drugs which was injected into him." Enomoto Tatsuya informed Hidaka and those who were involved in the operations Fushimi had sat out from due to his knee injury.

"Those sick bastards!" Hidaka Akira slammed his fist on the table. He looked down on his food which he almost going to puke on just looking at it reminding him of the horrid state of the victim they had rescued from a now abandoned facility.

"With that condition, he took a bullet for Captain. Can't believe that he's being reduced to such state." He added tightening his grip on the fork he was holding. It was a miracle that he was still breathing.

* * *

"Akiyama. Where's the report?" Fushimi Saruhiko had heard that Scepter 4 had busted an experimental facility recently. An operation led by the Captain himself. He was curious to read.

"He didn't even have to show himself actually." Fushimi thought clicking his tongue,

"HOMRA is involved so… Captain said they chanced upon the facility and decided to break out those guinea pigs." Akiyama Himori continued his report.

"I see." There was more to it. Munakata Reisi was never an easy man to read. He probably knew that HOMRA would be involved.

"Any movement from them lately?" Fushimi questioned. He was a little pissed considering he was ambushed by a bunch of Strains breaking his kneecap and was left groaning in pain until Akiyama and Benzai found him. The words those Strains used made him uneasy. They were acting on someone's order and that person ordered them to leave him saying he they were not to touch him but to go after a certain black dog as experimental subject instead.

They did not need subjects with red aura. "No longer need." Was the words they used. Fushimi was somehow annoyed by the words used.

His mind was distracted until the blue King sat by his bedside reading out the report and bringing him back to his reality.

"Oh I thought I'm being ignored by someone like Akiyama-kun I had sent back. I don't think you're even listening to him." He said with his eyes on the report.

"You're the one who didn't call out to me." Fushimi stated the fact. Munakata Reisi smiled.

"I merely want to see how my capable subordinate is doing and if he is recovering well?"

"Now you see me. Get back to your own work." Fushimi could not be bothered. His knees were covered with cast. It would be a pain if he lost the use of his knees even though he would not be bothered. He would be back to work in another two weeks.

"All subjects except one were silenced. We have no evidence that the Green is behind this." Munakata read the report on behalf of Akiyama to him.

"A survivor huh? You can get him to testify against the Green easily." Fushimi commented. Munakata was obviously trying to tell a joke to Fushimi but it was not funny.

"An experimental subject survived from the atrocious experiment but I doubt for long. I'm using the medical facility from his Excellency I have control over now to preserve his life."

"So? You want me to interrogate him? Just give the order." Fushimi knew that this man wanted him to interrogate the surviving victim but wanted to hear the request directly from him. Fushimi closed his eyes in annoyance.

"He's rather fragile. With the level the remaining healers from Gold Clan have, preserving his life is asking too much from them. I requested to put him in induced coma to reduce his pain until we can get him to tell us about those who were involved in his capture and experiment and you can decide if you want to release him from his pain." Fushimi frowned. Since when his boss had a sense of empathy towards a mere victim from some experiment, it was more like he was putting the victim in more pain. Not that Fushimi would care. Munakata removed his glasses and polished his lenses.

"I don't want you to have the same regret like me for that man. He saved my life in the expense of his own life mistaken me for someone else. He didn't have much time left." Munakata said looking at Fushimi with a look of sympathy. Fushimi could not retort at him with this expression he was showing him before he put his glasses back returning to his bossy personality.

"Get well soon. I want to see my favourite subordinate back in action." Munakata gave him an unreadable smile.

* * *

Fushimi found himself grabbing the blanket tightly. His eyes were gorging wide when he was sent the profile of the victim and his current medical condition a week later when he was discharged.

"Mi-sa-kii." He read his data in disbelief. There was no way Yata would let himself fall into the Green without a fight. What kind of joke was this?

* * *

There was not much change in Yata Misaki's condition much to Munakata's relief when he came to visit him in the Gold Clan medical facility after Anna and Kusanagi had left. At least his condition did not worsen. Deep down he knew what was happening. He was waiting, waiting for something or rather someone. Before that, he could not let go despite being in so much pain.

_"I'm… sorry… Saruhiko. I'm… so… sorry that... I'm... an... idiot... I still... can't figure... out why... you left me..." Yata could not stop mumbling with his weak incoherent voice as he laid bleeding on Kusanagi's arm after he was shot. _

Munakata looked at the trembling figure hooked up to machines in sympathy. He could not bear to lie to him that he was Fushimi when he was not. He wondered if he was wrong to force him to hang on to his life.

"Did you have a good dream, Yata Misaki?" Munakata wondered. Of course not. After whatever he had gone through, he would never be able to sleep in peace. He would be lucky if he could rest without being plagued by nightmares.

Yata was shaking his head and tears flowed uncontrollably down his cheek as though he was begging the perpetrator to stop. He was just put to sleep once more after a short talk to Anna assuring him that he was fine. He had done well in enduring the pain with the stoppage of drugs which induced his coma. Never did he tell anyone the culprit who put him in captive while awake. Munakata was aware that he knew.

Yata Misaki was humiliated by six men and was infected with different sexually transmitted diseases before he was sent to a secret medical facility where he was injected with all sorts of chemical to speed up the virus or try to heal him in the same manner before breaking him again. At the same time, they would like to see if his power as a clansman could be drawn out to the highest extent or even heal him. Evidently, his hair and his nails were seen to grow faster than the normal rate. His nails were cruelly plucked off in order to "punish" him for defying them it seemed. Yata Misaki did try to escape but he was recaptured. This went on for two weeks until his power finally went out of control.

That was in assumption from the autopsy report of the seventeen former USAGI which their bodies were picked up by Scepter 4. The price paid would be his own life once his power ran out.

The bullet embedded in Yata Misaki's heart was not removed as it would kill him instantly. Even so, any strenuous movement would kill him as well. The bullet invented by the assailant was made to kill him when the bullet embedded would explode into shard in the organ it hit which happened to Yata as his heart was badly damaged. The heart-lung machine was used to keep him alive instead.

Munakata's brain would have exploded if it hit him. Did they calculate that Yata Misaki would take the bullet for him or was it planned by using him as a bait?

(It was only later he found out that a certain sixth King had the power to "reject" injuries with the approval from Dresden Slate after an incident known as "Roulette Ritual" when he fully embraced his power as a King saving his life. That King became a target for Fushimi's resentment because he had left the medical facility after Suoh Mikoto's "death" with the confined Mizuchi Koushi for their unwise quest against the Silver King.)

"Misaki!" A familiar voice was heard. Munakata barely realized that Fushimi who had just discharged had rushed here as soon as he received his report. He gasped at the sight of Yata in the ICU. He was not the lively and energetic Misaki he knew. He looked so frail and deathly pale being hooked up my so many machines keeping track of his vitals.

"Tell me did JUNGLE did this?" Fushimi grabbed Munakata by his collar demanding for answers. He had read the report of Sample Y. Munakata grabbed his hands in response and yanked it away. There was not the way he should speak to his superior.

"Yata Misaki wouldn't say anything about the culprit. He's quite a loyal friend I would say." Munakata turned to look at the young man who having a fit in the ICU solemnly. Munakata had already deduced the answer but he had no evidence unless he heard it from Yata himself.

"I'll let you see him later. He's not allowed too many visitors in a short time. His body can't take it." Munakata finished straightening his collar and left the two young men to their own as promised.

* * *

Yata had a nightmare. They were taking turn to humiliate him saying how they would teach him about virginity. It was different from what Saruhiko often teased him because he was unable to talk to girls. Even as an idiot in studies, Yata knew this was what a man and a woman would do at night in bed but he was attacked by six guys in an alley. He knew it was not right even though he could not feel anything from the local anesthesia he was injected by someone he knew.

A girl with a ponytail tied on the right was laughing at him hysterically commenting how he deserved it and he should blame Saruhiko for his plight because he kept things from him.

_"You know what, I was under orders to force Saruhiko out of HOMRA and he really fell for it. I made him betrayed you and you fell out with him. It's all me! You took his attention away from me so I'll take it on you._

"No… Saruhiko… I'm… sorry…" Yata struggled to say.

Fushimi could not believe his ears as he kept vigil by his bed side and almost dozing off. He was in germ resistant gowns and masks over his mouth. He was not allowed to enter the sterile room unless he done so by the absolute orders of the Blue King warning him that he would end up killing Yata whose immune system had already broken down if he did not obey. Fushimi grabbed Yata's shoulder and attempted to wake him up from his neverending nightmare.

"Misaki, wake up. It's stupid monkey here. It's alright now. You're safe." Saruhiko struggled to comfort him to the extent of calling himself names Yata would have called him. He did not realise that he was crying until a bandaged hand found himself to Saruhiko's cheek wiping his tears.

"Saru is finally here to see me. Aren't you happy to see me in my sorry state?" Yata said in his weak and inaudible voice through his oxygen mask which was fogging as he breathed in and out. Yata felt weak and tired all over. He could barely keep his eyes open. Even so, he could finally see his face as compared to the blur he saw on that fateful day when he took that fatal bullet for him. It was actually the Blue King he had saved.

"Yeah, that stupid monkey is here to see the idiotic crow. You must be an idiot to lose a fight and ended up under others' mercy." Saruhiko said in a muffled but energetic tone through his mask. He caught Misaki's hand which fell off his face weakly. Fushimi was trying not to cry. He could no longer put up his heartless mask.

"You're right. I'm an idiot. I thought I know everything about you but actually I don't know anything about you. " Tears welled up Misaki's eyes as he admitted the fact. Fushimi was supposed to have a bright future ahead of him if he had never entered his life.

"What can I do... to make... up with you?" Yata started coughing as the medical readout began to ascend to the dangerous zone as his heart was beating too fast despite being hooked up to machine to take over the functions. Fushimi glanced around and noticed the warning. The USAGI would be rushing in anytime. It was a wonder Fushimi did not lose his cool at this sight. He needed to stay strong for Misaki.

"Misaki, it's alright, calm down. Remember I told you it wasn't you. I decided not to attend high school at my own discretion. I made my choice, it's my life." Fushimi rubbed his hand on Yata's chest trying to calm him down. Yata was getting too agitated.

The reading finally slowed down to the normal zone shortly with Yata sobbing with his head lolling towards Fushimi. Fushimi knew. He had read up on psychology of those who had undergone extreme trauma. He knew Yata needed him badly.

_"… all I have left is you." Yata's voice echoed in his mind when he begged him to help him save Anna. _

"I finally understood what is virginity, Saru." Yata said feeling disgusted of himself. "You must be ashamed of me. I'm just an idiot. I know nothing."

"I'm sorry, I should have accompanied you that day, Misaki. Let me stay with you." Fushimi would always regret that day he left Misaki by the train track. This time, Yata did not hear him. Yata had already dozed off from the effect of the anesthesia channeled into him. He should not be kept awake for too long.

"I'm sorry, Misaki. Everything will be alright" Fushimi said seemingly to comfort Yata stroking his hair but the truth was, he was comforting himself.


	2. Chapter 2: Never-ending Dream

**I'm absolutely excited to see Mikoto appearing in the latest PV of the anime sequel of K. That makes me wonder if my speculation that he was alive somewhere can still be valid. **

**This is the second and last part of the story. You will have to read "Each and Every Bonds" to understand the last part for a certain character from Side: Blue. I'd also introduce a new character I've been contemplating on whether to include that as I haven't decided if I will write a sequel to ****"Each and Every Bonds" or will he will even work out. **

**I can just see this one is an alternate retelling with an alternate ending. Like to thank my friends on for giving me the encouragement to write. Belphy for the story and LovelessDuchess for the new character and the pairing.**

**Please read and review. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Never-ending Dream**

Munakata had arranged for Yata to get discharged. That day, Yata looked better than any of the days since he was sent in to this medical facility. Yata had a little of his colours back and he was finally free of the restraining machines. They were aware he was at his limit. His body was shutting down as medicines no longer worked on him with various organs started to stop working. Yata had done well for hanging on this far. Yata was surprised that Fushimi came and he had styled his hair the way he had first met him.

"Because Misaki's hair is just as long as when I first met you as well." He merely said brushing his messy hair neatly with a comb. Yata had not combed his hair since he was held captive in the experimental facility. Fushimi helped Yata to put on a glove which covered all the bandaged fingers to keep his hand warm. He was careful with his fingers afraid that he would cause Misaki more pain as his nails were all ripped off.

It was almost Christmas. Fushimi wheeled Yata on the street on a wheelchair. Yata was wearing more clothing than usual with scarf around his neck to keep himself warm. He was forced to wear his middle school uniform by Fushimi as he was wearing his. They were like over-aged middle school student. It felt like their days in their middle school were yesterday.

* * *

They headed to Bar HOMRA where everyone had a welcome party for their vanguard. Fushimi hated that place but seeing how excited Misaki was, he would grant him his wish before the main surprise he had planned for him. Fushimi felt it was a wonder that he actually returned to Bar HOMRA after he left.

"Misaki, are you in pain here?" Anna placed her hand over Misaki's heart where she saw red flowing out from that spot that day. She almost cried when Yata shook his head. It was his fault for being an idiot. Kamamoto and the rest of the HOMRA gang managed to talk to Yata to cheer him up and ended up being cheered up by Yata instead.

Fushimi clenched his fist in fury when Kusanagi had his hand on his shoulder when Fushimi shook his head breaking the news to Kusanagi who more or less guessed it based on his experience in life. Fushimi was in extreme denial when he was told to arrange for "end-of-life-care" for him. They would get back to the Green for what they had done to Yata-chan.

* * *

"Carry me on your back." Yata requested Fushimi who decided that they should move on to their next location which was meant to be a surprise.

"Why?" Fushimi felt stupid to be carrying another man on his back.

"Eh? Did the Blue not pay you enough to buy better food from the taxpayer money that monkey too weak to carry me? You know I can even carry two on my bicycle back in our middle school days." Yata managed to provoke Fushimi. Yata found himself shuddered at the thought of the other person other than Fushimi he had carried on the bicycle he had taken from by force. He felt weak on his knees as her laughter echoed in his mind. Yata felt dirty. His line of thought was broken by Fushimi who responded to his taunt.

"T-ch, you're not even paying tax, Mi-sa-kii. Say who can't carry you? Look how small and skinny you're? You're 167 cm to be exact it's 166.9 cm and you have already stopped growing. I can definitely carry you just fine. Hurry up, Mi-sa-kii! Have you changed your mind because you're scared?" Fushimi urged impatiently on purpose. Fushimi was trying to be really careful due to the fragile state Yata was in.

"Say who, Saru." Kusanagi almost tear up with the rest of the guys as Fushimi carefully allowed Yata to climb on his back. Yata was seen to hesitate before he shook his head and climbed on Fushimi's back. He was disgusted by his own body which was infected with unknown diseases. Because the scientists from the Green did not want to be infected, they had already done the necessary precautions to prevent any virus or bacteria coming from Yata to be infectious to anyone outside himself. Only Yata could be infected by any outside bacteria. When he decided to leave the medical facility, he had already given himself up for infection.

"Take care of Yata-chan, Fushimi. I really wish you've stayed in HOMRA." Kusanagi said quietly watching the two young men leaving the bar. It was as if they had just picked them up off the street during an attack instigated by JUNGLE.

Yata forced Fushimi to wear an earphone. He would wear L on his right ear while Fushimi would wear R on his left. It was like before they were sharing iPod listening to the same song they used to listen together. The sky started to snow. The temperature had dropped lower as the cold breeze could be felt by them blowing towards their faces.

"Hey, Saruhiko, thanks for accompanying me all these while. "Yata said softly while he leaned in to his back for some warmth. Fushimi's back was warm. Yata needed some comfort from the pain from his chest explicitly his ailing heart. The bullet was never removed and he had been enduring pain from the scattered shards.

Yata took a sharp gasp while leaning his face on Fushimi's shoulder. He could feel the agonising pain all over his broken body coming back gradually as the morphine he was given before he left the medical facility had wore off. Yes, he was broken like a stupid crow making a lot of noise and ended up being shot down from the sky struggling to hang on to his pathetic life.

"Why are you saying that? I'm just carrying out my orders. To make you speak of the perpetrator who attacked you." Fushimi reiterated his mission.

Fushimi clicked his tongue. Yata was obviously not listening to him as he thought he must be indulging himself in the music. Meanwhile, in Yata's memory, there was a time Yata and Fushimi were sitting in a shelter. Yata and Fushimi shared a scarf in the freezing weather like this day and he placed a warm coffee can on Saruhiko's face playfully to warm him up.

At that moment, Fushimi was trying to provoke him and he had an urge to drop him on the ground to pick a fight with him but he tightened his grip on his arms which was hanging over his shoulder to prevent him from falling off instead. He was afraid of breaking him. He swore he would get back to those who had hurt his Misaki reducing him to such fragile state.

Yata felt dizzy as his vision started to blur with black spots. He felt shortness of breath and his heartbeat began to stall with his heart throbbing in pain. If he did not get his answer soon, he knew he would never get to hear it. Yata started to cough as quietly as he could. He did not want the monkey to worry. Fushimi did not realise that an increasing amount of blood was flowing out from the corner of Yata's mouth streaming down his chin. His face was ghastly pale by then.

"Hey... Saruhiko... why did... you leave me..." Yata struggled to catch his breath and to keep his eyes open. He had an urge to let go of Saruhiko because his chest hurt so much and he had trouble breathing with blood choking in his throat.

Not this question again. It was not the first time Yata had demanded the answer from him. He had all the chances he could reply him but he never did. What he wanted was not that?

_"You're annoying, Misaki."_ He wanted to say. Yata never once believed that he could suddenly become a traitor for no reason after how much they had been through together.

_"Why did you choose this path, Fushimi? You don't have to answer it right now. But say it clearly with your own words one day…" _Somehow that man's words ranged in his mind._ It bit on the back of his mind even after his death. _

_"This is what I hated about that man." _Fushimi thought of that always cheerful and smiling man with honey brown hair. Unconsciously he started scratching the scarred insignia with his left hand while holding on to Misaki's right arm on the right.

_"This is my answer…"_ Fushimi could not say it. The snow just got heavier. Fushimi walked in a faster pace. He needed to get to their destination fast and Misaki should not be out in the cold for too long. There was no doubt that Misaki would be infected by all the air-borne bacteria and fell ill later. He was prepared when he chose to take him out.

"I left in order to become stronger. Strong enough so that you will look at me...because I want to protect you, Misaki." Fushimi wanted to cover his mouth when he realized he finally said it. Misaki smiled weakly right from his heart. He finally heard the answer he wanted to hear as he found himself crying on his back.

"Thank you, Saruhiko… " He barely managed to say. A weak smile appear on his pale face.

_"Ever since I saw your smile during our mission to chase after the blimp, I have always loved your smile. For me, Saruhiko was the one I wanted to be close to. I'm always worried about your reaction when I dragged you off to do the things I thought was fun. I think it is amazing how smart you're. I know I can do great things with you. I want to see your smile. I want to laugh with you. But I know I don't deserve to be your friend. That's why you betrayed me. I even lost the watch you made for me._ _Oogai is right. My life is worthless, I don't deserve to be needed. I'm glad I can save your King's life with the worthless life of mine."_

_"Do you know you're the the happiest thing which happened to me, Saruhiko?"_ Yata smiled imagining the small image of himself as a middle school student squatting before a surprised Fushimi in the cubicle with his laptop. He was happy that Saruhiko was with him at his final moment. He never felt so comforted before since Fushimi left HOMRA. Yata closed his eyes in peace and breathed his last feeling the last of his strength leaving him as he felt his weakening heart finally slowed to a stop. Not even Fushimi who was holding on Yata's arms to keep him stable had never noticed the increase of weight as Yata passed away quietly on his back. The last thing on Yata's mind was his ideal next life.

_"If there's next life, I'll still want to fly away to somewhere huge, and do amazing things together with you. From now on, Saru, you will lead a wonderful life on my behalf. I know you're able to. I love you, Saruhiko."_

Fushimi took Yata to a place he would have least expected. Fushimi got down the stairs carefully afraid that any intense movement would hurt Misaki.

***Flashback***

_"Don't thank me."_

_"I'm not thanking you." _

_"Keep him happy, Fushimi-kun. You're better than you think you're… Show me a good performance."_

_Munakata turned away to face the window in the chair in his office as he handed Fushimi a set of keys Fushimi did not know how to thank him. He was in the verge of tears. _

_Munakata closed his eyes. He wondered if he was right to take the credit for himself as that irresponsible man was the one who kept the rent going. He actually sent him a list of things to take care of after his "death". _

***End Flashback***

* * *

It was their base they rented after they left middle school. It seemed that his Boss had been paying for the rent after both of them moved away.

"Hey, Misaki, we're home. It's my boss'… " Fushimi wanted to say "idea" with his could-not-be-bothered-to explain-attitude to only be startled when Yata fell off his back as he released his arms after pulling off the earphone off their ears and lowering himself to help him off his back. Fushimi managed to catch him before his head hit the ground and laid him on a futon he had set up before he picked Misaki up.

"Misaki, how're you feeling?" He pulled Yata's body into a hug to only realise his body was frozen. His eyes widened at the bloody state Yata was in especially his pale face was covered with his blood he had coughed out. He also realised only then that his own shoulder was stained with his blood. Misaki's body had gave up on him.

"Hey, Mi-sa-kii... Wake up." Yata was sleeping peacefully with no sign of pain. Fushimi brushed Misaki's hair and flinched when he caressed his pale face. His face was freezing cold.

Yata had already passed on with a smile before he even realized.

That was when Fushimi's world stopped.

"You know you're really an idiot, Mi-sa-kii. Why didn't you tell me when you're feeling so sick? Why did you have to leave without a word? Why did you have to leave me?" Fushimi started crying his heart out with his head on Yata's already unmoving chest.

_"You're really an idiot, Misaki. You have foolishly loved an idiot like me who is unable to protect you despite all my declaration of wanting to become stronger. All I want is your eyes to be on me. I'm sorry. If only you can hear me. I love you, Misaki. " _

Fushimi gave his beloved Misaki a kiss on his cold lips.

* * *

It was a year and a half since then when he was pried off Misaki's body by his colleagues from Scepter 4 by order of Munakata after he lost contact with Fushimi. He had guessed Yata had gone to a better place by then.

_"From now on, live a wonderful life. I'm sure he wished that for you. "_

Fushimi Saruhiko, university student who held a scholarship from Scepter 4 stood before Yata Misaki's grave. He was helping out HOMRA from time-to-time in the background whenever he had the free time from his lectures, assignments and examination more importantly, spying on JUNGLE, Oogai Aya or Hirasaka Douhan in the open like he always did. Misaki had never revealed Oogai Aya, his cousin who saw Fushimi as her rival killed him indirectly for her own selfish reason. It was Aya who approached him herself to tell him all about her deeds and returned Misaki's lost watch to him as a bait for him to hate her.

Fushimi had heard Misaki's confession from the recording on his watch leaving Saruhiko full of regret for never being able to reciprocate his feeling. He would never share with anyone that he had already broken into tears after listening to the recording Yata recorded way before he was captured and killed.

"Misaki, I swear I'll avenge you with my own hands." Fushimi stood up stared out at the sky in determination. He was startled by a sudden flap of wings by a black bird which took off from somewhere to the sky. He reached out his hand to the bird. It was a crow. It hit Fushimi that Yatagarasu had flew somewhere beyond his reach.

Fushimi closed his eyes and smiled in peace as he saw his Misaki smiling feeling proud of him in his mind.

_"Misaki, it's going to be a while before I can see you again with my head high. Be good and wait up there okay?"_

* * *

Fushimi was on the way to help a certain Bar Master assistant out after receiving a call from the said Bar Master.

"Why can't you get that man to help you? He must be lazing in the bar despite having so much power as a Strain." Fushimi demanded in annoyance.

Back in Bar HOMRA, it was a little chaotic. Kusanagi turned his back to a group of HOMRA guys surrounding a blonde teenager and red haired man with excessive rage to release. The older man who was raging with aura around him is challenging the younger boy with red aura engulfing his fist.

"You know our dear Mikoto-san is busy with assessing a boy who wanted to be Anna's friend." Kusanagi tried to explain.

"I can't get away either. I need to prevent my bar from being destroyed. Hey! Fight behind the alley!" Worse still, Anna was sipping her orange juice sitting on the sofa after calling him her boyfriend much to everyone's horror. She had made him her very first clansman because for some reason, she could not read him like the others.

Fushimi was amazed how childish Mikoto was. He had never expected to hear this side of him. He always thought he was scary but he was crazy.

_"Totsuka-san, Mikoto-san, Kusanagi-san are not around, the only one I can rely on is you."_ A memory of a voice echoed in his mind. Fushimi found himself scratching his insignia in annoyance. He did not have his sabre with him but he had hidden enough knifes under his sleeves.

"Fine. Where's Kusuhara Takeru now?" Fushimi would take up this mission the former vanguard of HOMRA Yatagarasu would have.

Kusanagi smiled after hanging up. Turning to where Mikoto and the rest were, he almost screamed. Only Anna remained on the midst of the broken glasses everywhere. The rest had ran away.

"These guys, I'm going to talk to them, Anna, look after my bar." Kusanagi said it with a forced smile. With that he ran out of the bar after them. Say who was childish when Kusanagi Izumo was no better.

"They're going to be the death of me!"

"I'm not going to worship Suoh Mikoto like the rest of HOMRA. I'll devote myself to Anna-chan."

The boy with dyed blonde hair was Anna's classmate. He smiled running back home after sticking out his tongue at the raging red-haired lion. He had walked past Fushimi who had returned with a disappointed Kusuhara who failed in his mission and needed Fushimi to bail him out from a group of disgruntled delinquents for eavesdropping on them. The boy and Fushimi only just missed each other because Kusuhara happened to be blocking their views. Fushimi blinked for a moment at the sight of the back of a young middle school boy but shrugged off his thought. Surely it had to be his imagination.

"I'm going to become stronger so that I can show off to Saruhiko and the idiotic big brother of mine. Together with this bunch of people in HOMRA I'm sure I can. He punched his fist onto his palm which flare up with red aura." The boy in dyed blonde hair, said to himself while looking up to the sky with a huge hopeful grin.

This was what this teenage boy who was used to be known as Yata Minoru before his mother remarried once more giving him a new family name had decided.

"And this will grant me power once I accumulated enough score." At that moment, his PDA vibrated. on the screen jcube, a JUNGLE game popped up an alert with a new mission for a high score user like him. It would not be long before the King behind the app would appear before him.

This was his dream. With these powers, he would be able to protect Anna, his mother and his sister.

* * *

**The last part on Minoru was inspired by one of the ideas LovelessDuchess had. Yata Minoru should be about Anna's age. The ending is simply just a teaser. I won't know if I take this idea and run with it if I ever write a sequel to "Each and Every Bonds". Thanks for reading and support.**


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